


Vincent Black Lightning 1952

by ignite



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Freewood - Freeform, M/M, Violence, blame the song for that, gang AU of sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-20
Updated: 2014-10-20
Packaged: 2018-02-21 23:19:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2485916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignite/pseuds/ignite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A criminal with an expensive bike and a smart mouth, and a British guy with a cup of coffee. Somehow, it’s a love story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vincent Black Lightning 1952

**Author's Note:**

> Richard Thompson's amazing (and very sad) song [Vincent Black Lightning 1952](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zjFdDXauuA) is to blame for this fic.
> 
> Those of you who know my tumblr may have already seen that fic. But I have re-written it, cleaned it up, and made it, I hope, a lot better. 
> 
> So enjoy!

Ryan was leaning on his parked motorcycle, waiting. Geoff was late, as always. That man liked to take the 'organized' out of "organized crime". 

If this went on for too long Ryan would have to leave... His bike was his most precious possession but it was not entirely inconspicuous, and he was well aware of it. 

"That's a nice motorcycle..." said a British voice. It was said quietly, evidently not supposed to be heard by anyone, but Ryan's bored ears caught it anyway.

He looked over his shoulder. A thin guy with dirty blond hair was standing there, holding a cup of coffee and a goofy smile. 

"Do I know you?" asked Ryan, an eyebrow arched. 

The guy startled a little and raised reasonably panicked eyes to Ryan."No... I was just saying... your bike's nice."

"Thanks. Now jog on, guvnah," he said in an exaggerated British accent.

It made the guy laugh nervously, but he did walk away. Ryan watched him turn the corner just as a car pulled up next to him. 

The passenger's window rolled down and revealed Geoff's face, eyes hidden behind sunglasses. 

"Hey. You have it?"

"I always do." Ryan took a small packet out of the inside pocket of his leather jacket. "Do you have mine?"

Geoff took a similar packet on his lap and handed it through the window. Ryan quickly swapped the two, and offered a wide and slightly demented smile to his boss. 

"Later," he said, starting the engine. 

"Vagabond, wait," called Geoff. 

"What?"

"I've heard rumors, recently. Edgar's lost quite a lot of money thanks to a very well organized police raid. He seems to think you're behind this and he is not fucking happy..."

Ryan huffed a laugh. "As if he scared me. Thanks for the Edgar newsletter but I don't need it."

Before he could get away Geoff's arm shot out of the window and grabbed the bike's handle.

"Ryan, did you call the cops on him?"

"I don't like talking to cops, Geoff." Ryan removed his boss' hand. "I have to go now, I got things to take care of."

"Be careful!" warned Geoff's voice as Ryan took off, his bike shooting proudly onto the road.

Ryan disappeared into the city.

***

Another day, another hot cup of coffee in Gavin's hands as he walked down the street. 

Since he'd moved here about three weeks ago, Gavin had been going to the same old coffee shop every morning. It looked a bit unsanitary, and the crowd that usually hung around here didn't look like good Samaritans, but the coffee was cheap and it was good. And anyway, nobody in this neighbourhood looked like law-abiding citizens... 

"You again?"

Gavin turned around to find himself looking at sunglasses on a face he vaguely recognized. The man had an impressively black leather jacket, the same colour as the bike against which he was leaning. That, Gavin definitely recognized. It had been a week since he'd seen it last but that bike was not easily forgettable. 

"Hum... Sorry?" he squeaked. From up close the man was buff as hell. Scary.

"I knew you were familiar. I keep seeing you around here. Are you stalking me?"

"No! Not at all! I'm just--I--there's just this coffee shop there and I... go to it... in the morning... I mean, I just live around here. I didn't know you did too. I'm sorry. I'll just... huh..."

His panicked ramblings were cut off when the man barked out a raucous laugh. 

"Calm down, Dick Van Dyke! I was just joking."

Gavin relaxed, but only slightly. 

"You go to that coffee shop over there?" asked the man, pointing at the shop in question. 

"Yeah..."

"You're fearless, aren't you."

"Huh?" said Gavin, not knowing what to answer.

"Never mind," dismissed the guy. "What's your name?"

"Um... Gavin."

"Hi. Do know how to ride a bike, Gavino?"

"Ga*vin*."

"I know. So, do you?"

"... well... I mean, sort of... I don't have a licence or anything but I can drive i--"

"Great."

The man stood straight and pushed Gavin towards his nice, black bike. 

"Get on that and drive her around for half an hour. All right?"

"What?!"

"Just fucking do it, or I'll make you do it."

The guy took his nice leather jacket off and wrapped it around Gavin's shoulders.

"And don't even think about stealing her. I'll find you and fucking kill you," he said, handing Gavin a black helmet. "I have guns that would make the military look like children with plastic toys, so don't fucking make me angry. All right?"

"B-but..."

Gavin couldn't voice his protests further as the guy took him by the armpits and all but picked him up, and plopped him down on the bike's seat. Gavin's cup of coffee fell from his hands and splashed on the ground, where the guy kicked it away.

"Bon Voyage! Drive carefully and bring my baby back here in half an hour, or you're dead. "

Seeing no other option, Gavin started the engine.

He was back exactly half an hour later, and found Sunglasses Guy waiting for him with a wide smile that did not look friendly. 

Gavin dismounted, his legs feeling like jelly. 

"I-I did what you told me. I did it. S-so now... I can go, right?"

A large hand fell on his shoulders and he flinched, but didn't dare pulling away. The guy pulled his sunglasses off, revealing deep blue eyes sparkling with amusement. 

"I think I owe you a cup of coffee."

***

The coffee shop was lost in the middle of the tall buildings greyed by pollution. It was discreet and unassuming, utterly unremarkable. One little shop among hundreds of others, selling the most harmless of drinks.

It closed every day at 7pm, but the owner always left his door open for a few choice customers until far later in the evening. The kind of customers who brought in money that needed to be taken care of. 

This evening found Ryan sipping peacefully on a cup of tea, watching through the window at the cars passing by in the night. Nobody glanced twice at the shop, except a few people whom Ryan recognized as working for the same people he did.

A shadow fell over him. He looked up at Geoff coming up to him, arms crossed on his chest. 

"You really did it then? You gave your bike to that stranger this morning?"

"Yup."

Geoff sat down. "You're fucking crazy."

"It worked, didn't it? Edgar and his goons followed the bike around like the stupidest bloodhounds in history, and I could do my errand in peace."

"They're not that stupid, they noticed sooner than later. You won't be able to pull that one again."

"I'll find something else."

Geoff's eyes narrowed at him. "You haven't forgotten about what I told you the other day, have you? Edgar's not just following you to spy on me and steal your clients, not anymore. He's looking for a way to bring you the fuck down."

"I don't care."

Geoff let a beat go by, before a sneer pulled on his lips. "You care about that British twink though, don't ya?" 

Ryan scowled. "What? Why would I care about him?"

"Don't lie to me. Jack told me everything," said Geoff, pointing at the barista who was diligently cleaning a couple of cups, specks of foam in his beard. Jack pretended he hadn't heard.

"I just offered the guy to buy him a coffee afterwards, that's all," Ryan said nonchalantly. "I scared him a little too much this morning, I had to make sure he wasn't going to call the cops on me, so I played nice for a few minutes. That's it."

"You also bought him a muffin and you two talked for more than a few minutes..."

Ryan groaned. "Hey, Jack!" he shouted at the barista. "You're a fucking mole!"

"You know I tell everything to Geoff," shrugged Jack without even looking up from his cups. "You chose to come here, you deal with it."

"All right so the guy's a nice dude," said Ryan, turning back to Geoff. "Doesn't mean I'm gonna suck his dick. You know I told Ray and Michael to follow him for like a week to make sure he was safe, and from what they told me he seemed a little lonely. So I decided to talk to him. Big deal."

Geoff smirked. "I see right through you, Vagabond. This had nothing to do with getting Edgar's goons off your back, did it? You just wanted to have an excuse to gaze into the eyes of a nice British boy for an hour or two."

"What if I did?"

Geoff laughed. "I'll never understand how you can wield guns at night and be such a sweet-heart during the day."

"I just don't mix my professional and personal life together."

"Do whatever you want. Just try not to put him in danger. I don't like it when civilians put their nose in my business."

"He's a dumbfuck," said Ryan, "he won't cause you any problems."

"Such a sweet-heart," repeated Geoff with a sigh. He stood up. "I have shit to do. Shit that doesn't involve your stupid ass. Good night, Vagabond."

"'Night, Boss."

***

Gavin didn't always understand the things that happened to him. The most puzzling of all though, was the fact that a guy in a leather jacket had started inviting him for a coffee almost every morning. Gavin didn't even know his name... 

But he did appreciate the company. A lot. The guy was weird, but nice. He also had the annoying habit of appearing out of nowhere and scaring the shit out of Gavin on a regular basis.

Like that particular morning.

"Going to work?"

Gavin jumped out of his skin. He looked at the guy in the leather jacket, leant against the wall on his right. 

"You have GOT to stop doing that," Gavin breathed.

"It's fun. You're a very jumpy person."

"You're a very stealthy dude!"

The guy smiled. 

"So? Where you going?"

"I'm going to work after I get my coffee. Like every day."

"I'll give you a ride," said the guy, walking over to his bike parked on the sidewalk.

"Really?" asked Gavin cautiously. "You're not going to force me onto your bike and make me ride it to work?"

"Nah. You decoy days are over."

"That's what I was? A decoy?"

"Jesus Christ, you're really slow on the uptake, aren't you? I thought you'd get that I'm not exactly on the right side of the law after a while."

Gavin bit his lips nervously. Oh, he had gotten that, and he'd gotten it the very first time they'd "met". It wasn't like he was hiding it, and this part of town was cheap as hell for a reason. Gangs were an actual part of the economy around here, they had more power than the police.

"You know where I work?" he asked. 

"Of course I do."

Of course. Gavin had been accused of stalking, but he knew it was the other way around. He was definitely the one being followed here. And the scariest thing was that he wasn't sure he minded... There was something about that guy and his bike that made Gavin feel safer than when he was alone.

The guy handed Gavin a second helmet, and waited until he was seated behind him with his arms around his waist. And off they went. 

They missed the turn that would bring them to Gavin's workplace. Gavin didn't bother pointing it out. 

When they stopped, they were by the side of a lake in the middle of a forest. It was as incredibly beautiful place, with the water sparkling and the bright green trees waving gently in the summer breeze.

"Why did you bring me here?" asked Gavin, eyes roaming around in wonder. It was such a brutal change of scenery from the usual grey of the city.

"Why not?"

"Am I being a decoy again?"

"No, I told you that was over. I'm not... involving you in anything anymore. You're safe. Come on, don't stay rooted there."

Gavin followed the guy toward the lake's shore.

"I just wanted to have a bit of quiet time," said the guy, spreading his arms on each side as if he was going to take off and fly. "I thought you'd appreciate it."

Gavin took a deep breath, smelling the fresh air around him. He bent down to pick up a round pebble and threw it, watching it bounce on the water. God, he hadn't done anything like this in years. He hadn't even known there was a forest so close to where he lived.

He turned to the guy and smiled.

"I do."

***

"Still not giving him blow jobs?" asked Geoff over his cup of coffee. 

"Nope," said Ryan. "I did tell him he's got nice hair..."

"Wow." Geoff laughed. "You're a master of flirting."

"Alright, laugh it up. I'd thought you'd be happy for me, you used to tell me to stop being such a lone wolf all the time."

"Yeah, because I thought meeting someone would stop you from jumping into dangerous situations like a maniac, but from what I've heard that Gavin guy's not doing a lot to tame you."

"Tame me? I'm not a fucking animal, Geoff."

"Nope. You're much more cumbersome and way uglier than any animal I know. Did Gavin at least appreciate the hair-compliment?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Yeah he did. Did he also appreciate the fact that you're a criminal?"

"He knows," said Ryan vaguely.

"Does he approve?"

Ryan shrugged. "He didn't look scared."

"Doesn't mean he isn't."

"I told him I'd protect him."

A sad smile stretched Geoff's lips. 

"I'm sure you want to, but can you?"

"Of course."

"Yeah." Geoff nodded slowly. "Of course... You know you can leave whenever you want, right?"

Ryan snorted. "As if you would manage without me. I'm your best asset and you fucking know it, so don't act like you'd be totally fine with letting me go. Do you have a job for me or are you just here for you daily dose of gossip?"

Geoff didn't insist. He picked up the bag on the floor and handed it to Ryan. 

"You have to deliver this to one of Edgar's goons for tomorrow. The address is inside."

Ryan eyed the bag without taking it, before raising his eyes back to Geoff. "You're dealing with Edgar, now?"

"I deal with everyone, Vagabond. He might be a complete scumbag but he's got a lot of interesting clients. And I made him swear off the random killings *and* off your ass for as long as we're working together."

"As if..."

"Yeah, I know he's gonna break that promise sooner or later. But right now he needs my money, he'll do what I tell him as long as it brings him cash. And if he fucks something up, at least I'll have a good excuse to put a bullet in his head."

"Nice," approved Ryan.

He took the bag, left a bill on the table and walked out of the coffee shop.

***

"When you were a kid, what job did you want to have?" asked the guy.

"I didn't really care," said Gavin. "I was rubbish at school and wasn't really interested in anything anyway. The only thing I wanted was to move to the US."

"Why?"

"Dunno. It just looked better."

"It's not though. You're not exactly living in the nice parts of Manhattan, are you."

Gavin shrugged. "I like it well enough. There are things here that I like a lot."

"All right. So you're living your childhood dream here, in the crime-ridden slums."

"Yup.... and you?" Gavin asked after a moment of hesitation. "What did you want to be?"

"Zoo keeper."

"Seriously?" laughed Gavin.

"I liked animals."

"Aww. That's cute."

They were lying on the grass by the side of the lake, again. It was their third time now. The guy with the bike seemed to like that place a lot. 

The sky above them was starting to turn orange as the sun was slowly setting. Gavin felt fingers brush against his hand.

"Can you tell me your name?" he asked.

The guy didn't answer for a long time, so long that Gavin supposed he wasn't going to have an answer at all. Until his voice rumbled, quiet and soft. 

"Ryan."

Gavin took the wandering fingers in his hand. 

"You have very nice taste in bikes, Ryan. And in lakes."

"Hmm. I just have bad taste when it comes to jobs."

Gavin glanced at Ryan. He had his eyes closed and was breathing softly, he looked ready to fall asleep.

"What do you do, exactly?" he asked meekly. Ryan's eyes flew back open and turned towards him. Gavin cringed a little. "I-I mean... is it, like... drugs?"

"I used to," said Ryan honestly, as if he wasn't even bothered. "I used to work for someone who liked that kind of stuff. That was before my current boss found me and told me there were other ways to make money. Now I do... other things. Look, it doesn't harm good people, that's all you need to know."

"Okay," said Gavin. 

He didn't miss the implication that his job did harm people, even if they were bad ones.

"Are you safe?" he asked quietly.

"Nope," said Ryan immediately, and Gavin winced. "But I'm young and spry," Ryan went on. "I might make it to my next birthday."

"When's your birthday?"

"No idea," said Ryan. 

"You don't know how old you are?"

"Eh. Less than thirty, more than twenty."

A small silence passed. Gavin listened to the wind rustle the leaves.

"Did you buy your bike with the drug money?"

Ryan smiled a twisted smile. "Of course I did. It's a Vincent Black Lightning, do you know how expensive this thing is?"

"Pretty bloody expensive?" guessed Gavin. 

"Yep. She's the best thing I've ever owned."

"Why do you keep calling it 'she'?"

"Dunno... the guy I bought her from did it and it felt disrespectful to stop. But I think it suits her better than 'it'."

Gavin chuckled. "You're way too attached to it, Ryan."

"She the one thing that makes me feel free."

They stayed silent until the night fell and Ryan declared it was time to go home.

***

"Got a blow job yet?"

"Are you ever going to greet me normally?" asked Ryan. 

"Probably not," said Geoff. "It's been what, two months now? You should be getting some action soon."

"Just shut up."

Geoff as he sat down on the chair in front of Ryan and leaned back into the chair. His eyes were suddenly serious and focused.

"Listen, Ryan... I ended my partnership with Edgar this morning."

"What did he do?"

"He took me apart to ask me something."

Ryan's brow creased slightly. "And?"

"And he hasn't forgotten about you. He asked me if I was ready to give you up in exchange for a few services. He really believes you're the one who ratted him out." Geoff paused briefly. "Are you?"

Ryan huffed. "If I am, I'm not gonna tell you."

"That's not all. He says you stole from him the day you deserted his gang."

"Ah, now, that I can confirm. That was years ago though."

"Well he hasn't fucking forgotten." Geoff rubbed his face tiredly. "Jesus Ryan, I know you like to take risks but that's borderline suicidal. Why don't you ever talk to me before deciding to do stupid shit like that?"

"Because it's my stupid shit and I'm the only one who should deal with it."

Geoff looked at him for a moment. "You're gonna have to be fucking careful. He was pissed off before, he's even more pissed off now I broke it off with him."

"Well, you should choose your lovers more carefully."

"Like you're one to talk. You randomly fucking picked your lover out of the morning crowd."

"He was fresh and pretty," said Ryan with a smile. "Can't you just blow Edgar's brains out once and for all?"

"Hey, I'm fucking working on it! It's not like it's easy, his network's almost as big as mine and he's got less... scruples."

"Nice way to put it."

"I want to find a way to fucking put him six feet under without getting myself killed in the process. And without getting you involved," added Geoff, looking very pointedly at Ryan.

"You do know I'm not scared of him, right?"

"I don't care if you're scared," said Geoff emphatically. "I'm thinking about your British twink. Be careful, for his sake."

"Sure, sure."

"Ryan. Why do I have the feeling you're not taking this seriously?"

"Because Edgar's a fuckwad who only goes after weaker than him. He's scared of you."

"You can't hide behind me forever."

"Do I look like I'm fucking hiding behind anyone?" asked Ryan, offended. "If he touches a hair out of Gavin's head, I will end him. But he won't."

Geoff sighed. "I just hope you're right... My offer to leave still stands."

"You can shove it where the sun don't shine."

"You're the one who should be shoving a British dick in there."

"I hate you."

***

Gavin had decided that, for once, he was going to be the one surprising Ryan. He bought two tickets for the zoo, and offered them to him in the morning.

Ryan laughed in his face. Gavin felt his cheeks redden.

"Shut up, Ryan. You're a bloody pillock."

"You do know I don't understand half the things you say," said Ryan, breathless with laughter. "You sound like you're on drugs 80% of the time."

"I'm not on drugs, just British, you twat!"

"I'm pretty sure that's the same thing."

"You're a wanker, Ryan. An absolute tosspot."

"Sure, buddy."

"A real dick."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "I understood that one."

"I know," said Gavin sharply. 

Ryan smiled fondly.

It always amazed Gavin how he could pretty much say or do anything to Ryan, and the guy would still smile at him fondly, as if he were a nice little kitten trying to use tiny, harmless claws. It amazed Gavin, but it also pissed him off.

"I think I like you," said Ryan without warning.

Gavin blinked. His cheeks burned even harder. "I just spent ten minutes insulting you and gave you a stupid gift..."

"I think that's why I like you."

Yep. A harmless little kitten that Ryan found adorable, no matter what it did. Gavin felt his heart flutter a bit and is annoyance melt away as he looked into those smiling blue eyes.

"Okay... then... I like you too. Even if you're a dick."

"Good. And I like your gift, it's not stupid at all. Come on!" Ryan took Gavin's hand. "We're going to the zoo!"

***

The coffee shop had a bell that was supposed to ring every time the doors opened, but it hadn't worked in years. That was one of the reasons Geoff was always able to greet Ryan in new and inventive ways every time they met here.

"Edgar knows about your British twink."

Ryan looked up from his steaming cup of tea, to meet the irate blue eyes of his boss.

"Good morning to you too."

"I told you not to involve a civilian!"

"I didn't involve anyone! What does Edgar want with him?"

"Take a fucking guess, Vagabond. I just came back from a nice little chat with him. I proposed to pay him off for all the money you cost him, but he refused. He said, and I quote, that either you were the one paying him off, or the next time I see you it will be on a slab in the morgue with a "John Doe" sticker on your forehead. He hates your guts, dude."

"It's mutual."

Geoff sat down and crossed his tattooed hands on the table. 

"Was it fun at the zoo yesterday?"

"Yep."

"Because Edgar was having you followed."

"Oh, great. Ruthless killers got to spend the day watching cute animals play around and me and Gavin make out."

"Ryan, I know you're entirely incapable of talking about things that scare you without joking around, but would you try for a fucking second? How do you think I know you went to the fucking zoo? He told me this morning. He was making it very fucking clear that he has his eyes on your British toyboy! They won't hesitate to fucking take him if they think they can use him as leverage, and I cannot protect you if they start blackmailing you. Edgar knows you as well as I do. We all know you would do stupid shit to get your Gavin back, wouldn't you."

"But he won't--"

"Yes he fucking will. Edgar is clearly not scared of me anymore, Ryan. It means he has a plan and everything he needs to execute it."

Ryan's face was as blank and calm as usual, but it had lost some of its usual colors. He was biting his bottom lip, chewing on it absent-mindedly. His eyes were set on Geoff without really seeing him, lost in thoughts.

Geoff leaned over the table to make sure he had his attention. "I cannot protect you if they blackmail you. You know they won't hesitate to torture your boyfriend if they think it'll make you yield. We have to fucking do something."

Ryan's fingers drumming on the table was the only sound for a while. They were the only two clients in the shop. Jack was silently listening to them from behind the counter, not even pretending to be busy with something else. 

"All right," said Ryan finally. 

He stood up and started to walk away.

"Hey!" called Geoff. "Where are you going?"

"To fucking do something!"

"I meant you should talk to me and we'd come up with a plan together, you asshole!" cried out Geoff as he stood up. 

"Stay there, Geoff. Don't you follow me. I know how to lose a tail."

"Then tell me where you're going!"

Ryan waved his concerns away.

"Worry about your own problems, not mine. I've got this."

***

Gavin received the call on a Monday morning, as he was walking towards the coffee shop, hoping he would see the familiar black bike parked by the side of the road. 

He didn't know how the police got his name or number. All he cared about was that Ryan had been hurt, gun shot wounds to the abdomen and chest. He hailed a taxi and raced to the hospital. 

He met with a grim-faced nurse who shook her head sadly.

"You should be ready to say goodbye," she said.

Gavin was not ready to do anything. 

He walked past the policeman guarding the door, into the hospital room. 

Ryan was pale. Far too pale. Grey, even. He was lying on the bed with a mask on his mouth and nose, and wires coming out of him. He was wearing a gown with the front opened, showing the tight bandages wrapped around his torso. They were stained with horrible colors. 

Gavin felt his legs wobble as he approached the bed. Ryan's eyes were clouded by fever and pain as they turned to him. His hands shook as he took the mask off. The big breath he took before talking rattled in his lungs.

"Hey, Gavin."

"Hi, Ryan." Gavin sat on the edge of the bed. "What did you do to yourself?"

"I just helped clean up the streets." Another deep breath that hitched in his throat. "You're safe now."

A shaky breath left Gavin's lips and he screwed his eyes shut, trying to hold his tears.

He'd known this would end badly. There was never going to be a happy ending to this story. They had never talked about a future, because they both knew there wasn't one. Ryan had never told Gavin why he didn't stop his job, why he kept going, but Gavin hadn't tried to get an answer out of him. He'd simply hoped and prayed they would have a lot more time together before it all went to hell.

"I thought I had it."

Gavin looked at Ryan. There was a bitter smile on his white lips as he stared at Gavin's face.

"I thought I could... handle it."

"Ryan..." started Gavin, but he had nothing to say.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop it," blurted out Gavin.

"Gav... it's okay."

Ryan's hand trembled as he lifted it off the bed. Gavin took it. It was horribly cold, and there was something in the palm. Gavin didn't have to look to know what it was.

His lips trembled. "Ryan, don't..." The tears he'd been trying to hold streamed down his cheeks

Ryan took another strained breath. "Take her," he said. "I know you'll take care of her."

A sob escaped Gavin's throat. He swallowed thickly and sniffed.

"I don't want it," he mumbled, pushing the keys back into Ryan's hand. "It's-she's yours. She's the best thing you've ever owned."

"Gavin..." sighed Ryan. His voice was unnaturally soft but it rang to Gavin's ears like an alarm. His breaths sounded worse and worse. "I can't ride her anymore." Another strained breath. "I'm so sorry that I can't be with you. But she can."

"But... I can't... I can't..."

The words would not come to him. Instead, Gavin bent down and put his lips against Ryan's, cold and grey. He sobbed into the kiss and it made Ryan laugh softly. 

As he broke the kiss Ryan smiled, that same fond smile of his that made Gavin's heart squeeze painfully.

"You're the best thing I've ever owned, Gavin," said Ryan in a whisper, and his eyes closed slowly.

Gavin put the mask back on his face, and watched him fall asleep. 

He put his hand inside Ryan's lax one and took the little key chain. He then curled up by the man's side, hand tightly closed around the small metal object.

***

_Once, as they were sitting in the grass next to the lake, Gavin had asked why Ryan took him here._

_"I like it here," had said Ryan as if that answered the question._

_"Yeah but... why me?"_

_Ryan had fallen silent for a moment._

_"You feel like freedom."_

_"That's your bike," had said Gavin with a laugh._

_"My bike used to be freedom. Now it's you. You and your stupid theories and dumb questions."_

_"Can you stop insulting me?"_

_Ryan had laughed one of his high-pitched giggles that made Gavin smile._

_"I love that about you, though. Your crazy brain."_

_Then Ryan had asked, "Why do you keep coming here when I ask you?"_

_And Gavin had answered, "Because I want you to be free."_

_"Good," had said Ryan with a smile._

***

Gavin was woken up by an alarm and a sea of medical staff pouring into the room. He watched them work for a minute, feeling like he was underwater. Sounds muffled, images slowed down, colors melting into each other. 

Someone announced the time of death. 

Someone else asked him something.

Gavin didn't listen. He walked out of the room. Walked out of the hospital. 

The bike was parked just in front of the building, and there were four guys standing around it. Gavin recognized the barista from the coffee place.

They all parted as Gavin walked up to them. 

"Take care of her," said one of the guys, tattoos up and down his arms. "We'll take care of everything else."

Gavin nodded. He didn't know what 'everything else' entailed. He didn't want to know.

He climbed onto the bike, and drove away.


End file.
